i8 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN 



crust. When using the disks, push the machine along 

 steadily, without any thrusting movement. The sHght 

 ridges left will be leveled down by the next cultivation, 

 working the soil over thoroughly. The first cultivation 

 after the plants are up — and it should be given ^M^i as soon 

 as they are up enough to mark the rows — should be given 

 with the hoes with extra high standards or guards ahready 

 mentioned. They permit very close and rapid work without 

 throwing any soil on the plants, which is impossible with 

 the regular hoes. 



Get at the First Weeding Early 



Immediately following this cultivation the first hand 

 weeding should be done, even if there seem to be very few 

 weeds visible; between the plants, as between the rows, they 

 should be destroyed as soon as they sprout, and not allowed 

 to grow until they are so big as to threaten the existence of 

 the crop. After weeding the soil between the rows wiU be 

 more or less packed down hard, and the next cultivation 

 should be given with the cultivator teeth on the machine, 

 to loosen the soil up again. There are three types of cul- 

 tivator teeth which may be had: the regulation narrow ones; 

 the "gang" of three or more together, of which the best 

 have the ones nearest the row work shallower and nar- 

 rower than the ones in the centre; and the separate teeth 

 with extra wide bottoms which have the advantage, where 

 the weeds have begun to get a httle ahead, of cutting them 

 off as well as breaking up the soil. 



Every ten days or two weeks after this cultivation the 

 garden should be run over between rows with the ordinary 

 hoes attached to destroy any weeds which may be sprout- 

 ing and maintain the dust-mulch. If the ground seems 

 packed at all at any time substitute the cultivator teeth for 

 the hoes. The soil should always be worked over as soon 

 as it is dry enough after a rain. With crops such as beans, 

 which are sometimes benefited by a slight hilling, the hoes 

 or the disk attachments, set so that they throw the soil 



